Contender
by hyacinthian
Summary: Mark and Addison try to steal from Derek. Trouble ensues. [AU MarkAddison]


Midnight. Addison waited, lingering in the lush, overgrown grasses. Her jeans were dirtied with grass and mud and she had an assault rifle pinned against her shoulder, ready to fire. She waited, listening to the soft calls of owls. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary, but she wouldn't be surprised if something else popped up. She rolled her eyes. Her captain wasn't exactly the best at configuring plans. She inched forward on her elbows and knees, catching slight bites of conversation from the armed guards at the door. Three or four, it sounded like. Nothing she couldn't evade with a few well-timed shots. She checked her clip and looked towards the door, one eye closed. She heard the soft sound of a gun cocking behind her, and she turned, quick and stealthy.

"Oh, for the love of—"

He grinned before he spoke. "Imagine seeing you here."

"What are you doing here?"

"Why don't you tell me what you're doing here first seeing as how I've got this gun aimed at you."

"Mark," she said, coquettishly. "I've got a gun too, and now, it's trained on you."

"Looks like we've got a situation here."

"Looks like."

"I don't have time for this." Mark smiled at her and she rolled her eyes in response. She was here to finish the job, not to flirt or pretend to flirt. He could be so aggravating sometimes. "I have a job to do."

"Funny enough, so do I."

"What?"

"Your job isn't to take Frist's cargo, is it?"

She leered at him. "It might be. Why?"

He chuckled and her spine tingled with anticipation. Now was not the time to be thinking about that. She shook her head. "That's why I'm here."

She quirked an eyebrow and smiled at him. "Looks like we've got a situation here," she echoed. He merely nodded. She gave him a quick wink, followed by a quick punch to the face. She shook out her fist and stealthily tried to hurry towards another spot, closer, where she could strike the guards quicker.

She had the rifle prepped against her shoulder when something grabbed her round the neck and pulled her backward. In surprise, she squeezed off a few rounds in the air. The darkened sky lit up briefly. She heard wings flutter and men shout. "Shit." She turned to see Mark, lip split, but otherwise, none the worse for wear. "What the hell was that for?"

"I might have asked you the same thing." He pushed her to the ground.

"You're going to get us caught, you idiot."

"I'm not the one who fired rounds into the air."

"Well, I wouldn't have if someone hadn't grabbed me."

"Well, I wouldn't have if someone hadn't punched me," he mimicked. They quieted as they heard the sounds of coming footfalls.

"This is all your fault." He pulled the rifle to his shoulder, as they arranged themselves, eventually settling on kneeling, their backs to each other.

"Alliance?"

She scowled. "Until the guards get taken care of."

As if on cue, the guards appeared, loudly shouting, rushing through the tall grasses. Addison squeezed one eye shut and pulled rounds deliberately, methodically, striking who she meant to. Mark clenched his jaw in concentration, and liberally fired his rounds. He watched as the guards fell. They heard the distant buzzing of an alarm. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her behind him as he sought out his hiding spot.

"You have someplace to hide?" she asked, incredulously. He nodded. "Get caught often?" He rolled his eyes in her general direction.

"Shut up." The shed was tight, objects haphazardly strewn all over the place. A wheelbarrow edge was digging into her hip, and Mark's breath was hot against her ear.

"You think they're gone yet?"

He smirked. "I thought you were the big bad mercenary who could teach _me _a thing or two." She opened the door, and peered out, listening for anything. She only heard a few stray rounds of gunfire. She ran around the side of the building, her rifle tight against her shoulder. "Geez, you're paranoid." She quirked an eyebrow at him. "Take that thing everywhere you go?"

"Only on missions where I have chances of getting killed."

"So everywhere you go?"

She grinned. "Not the shower."

He pulled her tight against him, leaned down, and kissed her. The first one, tame, slow, as he smiled against her mouth. She kissed back, opened her mouth, and it turned deep and passionate. He wound his fingers in her hair as her fingers slid up to his neck. When he pulled away, she smiled.

"I've seen you naked," he grinned.

"Likewise."

"See you next week?"

She rolled her eyes, but gave him a slight smile. "Hopefully not. Some of us plan on getting paid this century."


End file.
